Devil's Cry
by Scardie Kat
Summary: A continuation of Damaged People, Stefani is trying to deal with Shane's death, and the fact that one of her closest friends killed him. Her relationship with Daryl seems to finally be in a good place, but who knows how long that could last with her past pushing its way to the surface and the dangers that are waiting for them as they search for a safe haven. Daryl/OC
1. Chapter 1

So here it is, that sequel I promised how many months ago? Anyway finally I have something to post. I hope everyone enjoys it as much as Damaged People, and if you haven't read it yet, I suggest you head over there first because this won't make any kind of sense to you. Also, planning on making a few changes along the way...suggestions are always welcome just drop a review or PM me!

Disclaimer: Still own nothing but Stefani...

**I've always said it's interesting to watch devils cry when angels want to stab you in the back. I like that mixture. –NR**

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"I'm hungry." Sophia sighed as she leaned against the back door of the truck. Stefani bit down on her cheek hard in order to stop her gut reaction from slipping passed her lips.

"We'll be stopping in a few hours, try not to think about it." Carl said from beside her.

Stefani glanced beside her, watching the hard line of Daryl's jaw. She thought it wouldn't be a big deal, normally the kids weren't that bad to have around, but their new situation made everyone a little more difficult to be around. She let her hand slip over his, her fingers squeezing in order to lighten some of the tension in his body. He was probably blaming her for the two children riding with them, but he hadn't said a word since they got on the road that morning.

"Stefani, do you remember that time we took a road trip to Disney World?" Carl asked as she leaned closer to the front, his chin resting on the top of her seat.

"Yeah, I never made it." She smiled.

"You got on a plane back home before we even made it to Orlando." She smiled back at him, thankful that he hadn't gone any further with the story. She remembered that she'd gotten into it with Lori, even Shane getting upset about the argument. To this day she couldn't recall exactly what had happened, but Shane and Rick didn't speak for a week after that. To Carl it was a fun family vacation, but it was a lot more than that.

"We never went to Disney World." Sophia spoke up and that launched Carl into a long winded explanation of every ride he'd been on.

It was just the distraction they'd needed. With the pair in the back seat finally focused on anything other than their empty stomachs, it was easier to imagine that they were just traveling. The back roads of Georgia seemed to have been spared the gruesome carnage that littered city streets. Stefani only wished that the images could be erased from her mind as well.

Close to dark, the caravan pulled off the main road and started down a dirt path. How Rick knew where he was going, Stefani couldn't begin to imagine. The group had been blindly following their leader for five months.

"I don't like this," Stefani sighed as she eyed their surrounding of overgrown brush that was creeping closer and closer to an old farm house.

"Ain't so bad." Daryl glanced at her for the first time since they'd hit the road. She couldn't help the smile that broke across her lips.

"Course you'd say that," she laughed as she playful swatted his arm away from her. "This is like you're ideal home sweet home. If it was up to you, we'd be strapping ourselves in trees every night."

"Hey, don't knock it til you try it, sweetheart."

The couple was still laughing as they slid out of the car and moved towards the front of the group. Stefani made sure Sophia and Carl were in front of her before she moved closer to Daryl and slipped her arm around his waist, under his vest. Her eyes recklessly fell on Lori leaning against the side of the large SUV, before focusing on how Rick wanted to sweep the area. Daryl leaned down and kissed her quickly before pulling away to follow Rick into the surrounding woods and Stefani moved to T-Dog.

That night, much to Stefani's annoyance, they were actually able to eat well for the first time in too many weeks. The little Daryl was able to teach Rick in hunting had helped the men bring back plenty of meat after their initial sweep of the perimeter. She hated the smug expression on Daryl's face when he came back with the heavy weight of the animals slung over his arm.

"This place is practically untouched." Beth said as she helped the rest of the woman pull together a decent dinner.

"It's a miracle." Lori smiled as she worked open a can of beans.

"We should stay here for a while." There was a collective sigh at the thought of staying in one place for more than a night.

Stefani knew that none of the woman in the room had any pull in that decision. Lori was too afraid of upsetting her husband to mention it to Rick, the Greene girls were too afraid period, and all Stefani could do was bring it up to Daryl and hope he mentioned it to Rick. With a frustrated shake of her head, Stefani walked out the back door to put more meat on the fire.

"You did good." She smiled as she walked passed Daryl skinning the last rabbit he'd caught. "Do you think you could find more around here?"

"Looks like this place was abandoned long before all this shit went down. This is the best place I've seen for hunting in a long time." He told her, throwing the guts into a bucket beside him. "Do you really think he'd listen to me?" He finally said, glancing up at her.

"Worth a shot, you're the only one he seems to trust right now."

"We found a shed out back that had some guns and ammo in it." He said as he moved towards her. "I suggested we spend a few days here, maybe try to teach the kids a little more. He's thinking about it."

"Wow, you are good." She turned to smile at him. A soft yelp escaped her lips as he wrapped his arms around her and brushed his lips against her neck. "Really, really fantastically magnificent." She said slightly breathless as she relaxed against him.

"Get someone else out here to take care of this." His deep voice vibrated against her body.

"Maggie, I'm gonna help Daryl bury the guts. Watch the fire." Stefani called out. She was already being led into the foliage by the time the brunette walked out the back door.

She followed Daryl deep into the woods, trying to be mindful off the tangled roots at her feet. The last thing she needed was to fall on her face and draw attention to where they were. He kept her hand held tightly in his until he found a suitable enough place to bury the animal remains. She moved to lean against a tree as she watched him dig a hole to bury everything in.

Her limbs were practically vibrating as she waited for him to finish. It had been too long since she'd felt this way around him. He probably wasn't taking that long to dispose of the bucket, but Stefani was growing impatient. Hands trembling, she reached up and pulled her top over her head before leaning forward the stretch out her back. Her eyes would occasionally fall on Daryl, wondering if she was getting the desired reaction out of him. Again she reached her hands up to the sky and leaned back, enjoying the slight pops that came from her joints.

"That ain't gonna make me move any faster." He finally said.

"We don't got all day, babe." She sighed dramatically.

Dropping the entire bucket into the hole, he kicked the pile of dirt on top of it before taking the three strides to close the gap between them. His hands instantly gripped her waist as he hoisted her up, pressing her flush against him. Stefani sighed as his lips moved over hers. Her legs tightened around his waist as she drew him closer, her tongue twisting against his. Daryl took one hand off of her, moving between them and fumbling with the button on her jeans.

Stefani pulled away, a wicked smile on her lips as she moved out of his arms and slid down his body. She quickly popped the button on her pants and shimmied out of them before moving her fingers to his pants. She worked the belt loose, before popping the button and zipper. Her hand grazed his growing arousal, eliciting a hiss from his mouth before his lips captured hers again. Frantically, she worked his pants down with his boxers before he lifted her up and backed her against the nearest tree. The feel of the bark biting into her skin barely registered to Stefani as Daryl entered her. Her arms around his shoulders, her nails dug into his skin as her body bucked against his.

Daryl watched as she pulled her jeans back up her legs. There was something going through her head, but he couldn't place it. It wasn't until she looked back up at him, that he felt a frigid chill run through his body.

"We can't do that again." She said softly as she started to walk passed him. Daryl felt his blood go from icy to molten in seconds.

"Fuck that," he said moving after her. "I'm ain't gonna listen to this shit again, Stefani. You can't keep changing your damn mind."

She stopped abruptly, turning to face him with her hands up to surrender. "Whoa, cowboy." She chuckled lightly, which did nothing to quell his anger. Taking a small step forward, she took his face between her hands. "Baby, I meant we can't have sex without protection again."

"Don't fucking scare me like that." He said, leaning in and taking her swollen lips again.

"I love you, but I'm not ready to go through that again." She said as she rested her forehead against his.

"Not yet?" He asked just above a whisper. A smile broke across her face. "I mean, if we find someplace safe we could talk about it."

"We're talking now." Her hands slipped around his neck as she smiled up at him. "Daryl Dixon, are you telling me you wanna have a baby with me?"

"I wanna give you the life you deserve." He watched her closely as his hands slipped around her neck. "You're a great mom to Sophia, and you should be able to have a kid of your own."

"Sometimes, I wish I'd met you before all this. Things would've been a lot easier." She laughed as he pulled her tight against him and placed a kiss against her hair.

Rick couldn't stop his eyes from finding her as she broke through the tree line. He'd heard her laugh too many times to count, and the smile on her face made her look years younger. She walked tucked into Daryl's side, her arm keeping him close. For a moment he let himself remember what that felt like. Her chocolate eyes staring up at him, shining from the tears the laughter brought to them, Rick wondered if he'd ever see her like that again.

As the couple made their way up the back porch steps Stefani's gaze flicked in his direction for a brief moment. It almost felt like a knife to his gut the way her eyes narrowed as she watched him before turning back to the man next to her. Rick had grown to appreciate Daryl, respect all that he did for the group. He knew that he was wrong when he said they didn't belong together. If anything, he owed Daryl a lot for bringing out the old Stefani.

Back in the house, the group spread out around the ground floor with plates balanced in their hands and laps. Everyone seemed happy for the first time in the months they'd been on the road. Stefani kept herself close to Daryl, making sure that she could feel his warmth radiating towards her. She could feel Rick's gaze on her from across the room.

She didn't feel herself relax until she knew he was outside on watch and she was upstairs with Daryl's arm draped over her waist as he held her against his chest. The bite from the cold gave her goose-bumps, and she nestled closer to him as she fought for sleep to take her over. Her hand reached up to her necklace, as the other stayed encased in Daryl's. As much as she wanted to sleep, she knew it wouldn't take her that night.

"_Stefani!" Shane's voice echoed through her small apartment. She came rushing out of her bedroom when she heard him burst through the door._

"_Please, Shane come on in."_

"_Pack a bag, quick." He said as he moved passed her. Stefani glanced outside to see that most of her neighbors were already packing their vehicles._

"_The news said it wasn't that bad." She cried as she followed after him, taking the clothes he was shoving into her large duffle bag out of his hands and doing it herself. "What are we doing?"_

"_Lori and Carl are waiting in the car. We're heading to Atlanta, there's supposed to be a refugee camp there." Shane yelled as he started packing food from her kitchen._

"_What about Rick?" Stefani said, her eyes searching his as she waited to hear what his plan was for their friend. "Is the hospital moving the patients out?"_

"_I went there first." He told her as his motions slowed down. "He didn't make it."_

_That was all he said on the matter before he was taking her bags out to the car. Stefani walked mindlessly through her apartment, grabbing the gun her father gave her years ago before moving out of the apartment. Not bothering with the door she stepped out and instantly caught sight of Lori sitting in the back of Shane's car with Carl wrapped in her arms. _

"_I should follow you in my car." She spoke up as she reached Shane's side. _

"_You ain't riding alone." He said as he waited for her to get in the car. He pulled out of the parking lot the second she closed the door. It took all of her energy not to break down into sobs like the boy in the back seat. _

"The first night you're sleeping on a real mattress and you're wiggling like it's sandpaper." Daryl mumbled against her neck.

"How'd we get a bed?" She asked quietly, though she knew the closest people to them were two doors down where Lori and Carl were sleeping. "Maybe I should go check on Sophie."

"She's fine sleeping down there with Hershel's girls." He pulled her tight against him, preventing any further movement. "You need some sleep, Stef."

"Shh, you're keeping me awake." She sighed dramatically, before twisting her neck and kissing him on the lips.


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow I am so sorry for how long it has taken me to update this. Thanks for the reviews and follows, all of you are the best. I hope you enjoy this next chapter. **

The next day everyone walked out into the woods. Rick had thought it over and agreed with Daryl that if they were going to survive on the road, they would need to train everyone on protecting themselves. There was always the possibility of getting separated from the group. It was especially important for the kids. No one wanted one of them to get too far away without knowing how to take out at least one walker if no more.

Stefani stood back with Lori as she watched Carl and Sophia practice with the smaller guns. There was a part of her that didn't want the little girl to know what it felt like to hold such a weapon, but she knew that was a dream because of the world they were living in. It had taken awhile, but eventually they were able to hit their targets a couple of times.

She noticed that Daryl tried to hide his grin when Sophia shattered her first bottle. Moving closer to him, she slipped her arm around his waist as they continued to watch the younger ones practice.

"You should work with some too." He said quietly. "The knives are good, but you should try to use the long distance rifle."

"My dad was a cop, as was nearly every man in my life since I was born. I think I know how to shoot." She gave him an amused smile.

"Shake the rust off, that's all I'm asking." He said, letting her slip out of his arms. She picked up the rifle and moved further down the line.

He was right about needing to get the rust off. It had been years since she'd used a long range rifle, but it was something that she was more qualified to do than some of the others in the group. She had learned on a whim, going to the gun range with her brother after another bad break up.

As she lined up another shot, she bit back another smile when she felt a hand on her hip. The warmth of the body behind her drew her in, fighting the bitter chill in the air. His hand came up, moving over hers and she froze. Her breathe caught in her throat as she slowly pulled away with eyes wide in shock as she turned to see Rick.

"You need to keep your elbow high. And watch out for the kick back." He told her as if it was the most natural thing in the world. It was reminiscent of the first time he'd taken her to the shooting rage, their second date.

"I got it," she said trying not to scream. He leveled her with a stare, waiting for her to take the shot. Stepping up to the challenge, Stefani lined up the rifle and fired it right into the target.

"_Wow, did you see that?" She squealed as she turned around and flung her arms around Rick. He side stepped out of her reach, taking the gun from her before taking her into his arms. _

"_Watch where you point that thing," he laughed as he held onto the excited woman. "You're a natural, sweetheart."_

"_It's in my blood," she smiled up at him. Lifting onto her toes, she pressed her lips against his. "Come on, I wanna go again."_

"Like I said, I got it." Stefani smirked as she turned to face Rick again.

Before he could fully pull himself out of the memory, she was already walking away from him. He tried not to follow her all the way into Daryl's arms, but the small pit of jealousy was already forming. There was a time not so long ago that she would run into his embrace that willingly. Even with Shane around, she still seemed to find more comfort in his arms than her own brother's. It was strange to see her so comfortable with another man.

"Everything good over there?" Daryl asked as she spotted Rick's lingering stare before he moved on to watch the others. "Seemed a little tense."

"Nope, there's not tension. He just wanted to make sure I remembered how the rifle works." The tight smile she offered did little to back up her story, but he decided to let it go for now.

"You may have some competition." He said, nodding in Sophia direction. It was surprising how well the girl was getting at using the weapon.

"That's good, at least she's not afraid of it. I was going to teach her and Beth how to use knives too. I think it would be good for them to know how to use them, quieter."

"You're a pretty smart woman, you know that?" He gave her a small smile, leaning down to peck her lips quickly. "I'm gonna go hunt with Rick again. We'll be back before dark."

"You sure you have to go again? We still have a bunch of canned food." She tried to smile, but knew she sounded ridiculous. He was about to argue with her, but Stefani cut him off. "Get out of here, but be careful." She couldn't stop her eyes from flicking back in Rick's direction before meeting Daryl's again.

"Watch the kids, make sure she doesn't do anything stupid." Stefani nodded, not watching him walk past her and into the woods.

"Come on kiddos, let's learn a thing or two about knives." Stefani smiled as she pulled Sophia under her arm and started walking closer to the tree line behind the house. "The first thing I want to teach you is the feel of them. These are lighter, small throwing knives." She pulled one out of the holster on her thigh, then the bowie knife Daryl had given her. "This one, larger and heavier, gotta learn your strengths before we know which one works best for you."

"You think they're strong enough to use those?" Rick's voice washed over the group and Stefani spun around to make sure she wasn't imagining it.

"I though you left with Daryl?" She moved closer to him, trying to keep her voice even. "You let him go off on his own."

"You and I both know he's better on his own." He may not have meant anything by it, but Stefani bristled at the statement. "Let me help you with them."

"Why don't you kids go back to the house, I'm sure you're all exhausted from training." Stefani smiled as she watched them slowly head back to the house porch. "You gotta stop this, Rick."

"Fani, I'm trying to help."

"You've got to make a decision. You're either leading this group with the iron fist you promised, or you're not. Stop being nice to me, it only makes me hate you more." She practically spit out the last part like it left a bad taste in her mouth.

"You know how he was, Stefani."

"Why do you feel the need to explain yourself to me? If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were having doubts of your own."

"I don't doubt he would've killed me that night." Rick told her, stepping closer and keeping his voice quiet.

"And every night, I have to talk myself out of putting a bullet through your temple."

"You don't mean…"

"You don't know anything about me." Stefani finally snapped.

They both stared at each other for a moment, neither backing away afraid of losing the higher ground. Stefani wanted nothing more than to reach out and slap him across the face. All she wanted was for him to feel the kind of pain she'd been hiding since losing her brother. As if on its own accord, Stefani let her hand rise. Rick caught her wrist, unconsciously bringing their bodies closer together. Her heavy breaths were making their chests press together and she tried wrenching her arm out of his hold.

"I'm sorry." He told her sharply, receiving a glare in return. Again Stefani tried harder to get free. "I'm sorry, Stefani. I didn't know what else to do."

Stefani felt tears fall down her cheeks. Her struggle lessened as she felt her body go weak from sobs. Rick finally let go of her arm in order to crash her body into his and help her keep on her feet. This made it easier for her to push away from him. Red eyes and puffy faced, she moved away from him still glaring at him with hatred.

"I don't need you to comfort me. If you're looking for my forgiveness, or acceptance of what you did, then you're just going to torture yourself. I can't even look at you."

"Please, Stefani…"

He didn't get any further in his statement as they both heard a twig snap in the trees a few feet away. They both waited for another sound, something to let them know who was heading towards them. Stefani reached for the knife in her belt as she took a few steps closer. A part of her hoped it was Daryl already heading back. She knew it was a long shot, but it beat the alternative.

She could feel Rick's presence behind her, which was probably the only reason she kept moving forward. It wasn't until she was about to cross into the tree line that she saw a figure ahead. Her breath caught in her throat, and then she caught whiff of a rotten stench. It was then she knew what was in the woods.

"Walkers," she whispered not sure if Rick heard her, but she began stepping back. She glanced back with worried eyes, Rick stepping closer to her. A scream left her lips as she felt fingers graze her arm. It was all the alarm anyone needed. She pushed the corpse away from her, giving her space to thrust her knife into its forehead.

Her breathing was beginning to ease when she saw another walker make its way out of the trees. Suddenly, it was as if the floodgates opened up. A dozen walkers were making their way towards her and Rick. She heard Rick yell for someone to get the kids in the cars, they needed to leave.

Stefani pulled her knife out of the walker with a sickening pop. The goo dripping from the blade was still stringy and connected to the oozing skull. She felt like she wanted to throw up, but there wasn't enough time for her to process that feeling before she was fending off another groaning corpse. Rick was calling out for her, but she ignored him. All she could think about way getting passed these monsters and into the woods to find Daryl.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." The voice stopped her from slashing her knife again. Stefani let a heavy sigh leave her lungs as she threw her arms around Daryl. "I heard you scream."

"Come on, we have to move." Rick yelled at the couple.

Stefani felt Daryl take her hand as they moved out to the clearing and followed Rick towards the house. They didn't bother going inside. Everyone else was already packing up the vehicles, Stefani caught a glance at Sophia before she was sliding onto the back of Daryl's motorcycle.

She could still hear her heart beating heavily in her chest. Arms wrapped tightly around his stomach, she was sure he felt her trembling. It was easy to forget how dangerous it was moving from place to place. Nowhere was safe anymore. She buried her face into his back, hoping it muffled her cries.

They found another house to stay in for the night, but as everyone was settling in Daryl pulled Stefani off to the side. He made sure everyone else was inside as he wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly against him. Her hands fisted into his leather vest, making sure there was little to no space between them.

"I thought I lost you." She whispered against his neck.

"What the hell were you doing yelling in the woods?" He asked, pulling her away just far enough to look into her puffy eyes.

"Rick and I…"

"You gotta let it go, baby." He sighed, letting his hands fall from her. She could see it clearly on his face, just like she'd seen it on others, but she wasn't ready to let go.

"Stefani," Carl's voice was quiet as he called out for her. On instinct she moved towards him, reaching out to grip the boys waiting hand.

"What are you doing out here, kid?" She glanced at Daryl before giving the boy her full attention.

"I wanna talk to you." His eyes flicked behind her, nervously watching Daryl eavesdrop easily from his distance. Stefani could tell that he wanted to be alone with her, and gave his hand a squeeze before turning to her redneck.

"Hey, go get something to eat. We'll be there in a bit." She gave Daryl a reassuring smile, hoping that he didn't argue. Instead he nodded walking towards the house, patting Carl's shoulder as he passed.

"What's on your mind?" Stefani asked. Carl held her hand tightly, probably tighter than he had since he was just a baby. "Everything okay?"

"I know you're mad at my dad," Carl looked up at her with big eyes. "But I shot him too."

"What?" Stefani fell to her knees in front of him, gripping both the boys hands as she stared up at him in shock. "Carl, what are you talking about?"

"Shane, I'm so sorry Stefani." He began to cry as he looked down at their hands. "He was coming after my dad. I didn't know what else to do."

"Oh, honey." She reached out and pulled him against her body.

"He got up, there was so much blood. He was a walker, Stefani I didn't want you to see him like that." He clung to her tightly, and she felt his hot tears soak through her shirt. She held onto him as she felt her eyes sting with unshed tears. Again white hot anger ran through her body, she had no idea Shane had turned.

"Look at me," Stefani pulled the boy away to wipe at his face. "You did the right thing, and I am not mad at you. He would've killed your Dad and you saved his life."

"But you're still mad at him." Carl said.

"You're dad and I are having a disagreement. That has nothing to do with you, I want you to know that if there's a moment when his life's in my hands, I'll do everything I can to save him. For you Carl, you got me?" She pulled him in for another hug, holding him tightly against her chest. He continued to sob against her, and all Stefani could do was hold onto him as if he'd shatter without her arms around him.


End file.
